TTA Member Spotlight on A&W Sod Farm

Andy Mason, William Head and Clay Head are more than just brothers-in-law, they are farmers and business partners operating a thriving sod farm in Springfield, Tennessee. In their operation as a true family farm, each has a specific role that is integral to the company’s success.

William, Clay and Andy say they have all been farming “since before we could walk”, although not just sod. Prior to their beginnings in sod in 2000, they were farming tobacco, corn, wheat, and soybeans, as well as having 180,000 chickens (which produced approximately 9000 dozen eggs per day) and feeder pigs. These brothers have a wide range of farming experience between them, and that knowledge and work ethic translate well in the turfgrass industry.

William Head serves as the chief manager of the business, maintaining the bookkeeping and HR duties. Along with his son-in-law, Barrett Brown, William handles sales and customer orders which includes delivery and installation scheduling and communicating with the staff about how much to harvest for incoming orders.

Andy Mason, as a vice president, oversees production, deciding where and when to seed on the 400-plus acre farm. He also handles fertilization (whether commercial or organic) and plans and administers the spraying program.

Clay Head, also vice president, handles the day-to-day maintenance of the company’s trucks and equipment. He also prepares the ground for seeding and oversees the company’s cow/calf operation, which all three partners are involved in.

A&W Southern Sod Farms produces Tifway 419 Bermuda and Blended Fescue on 100% irrigated fields. They focus on providing high quality product with excellent customer service. Their sod is always harvested and delivered within 24 hours, minimizing pallet damage. A&W works primarily with landscapers, builders and suppliers. They deliver and install sod in middle Tennessee and Southern Kentucky. While they have ventured out of those regions, the current building boom in Nashville and the surrounding counties has been their focus.

The biggest challenge William, Andy and Clay face is the weather, as most sod producers and turfgrass managers can certainly identify with. With short periods of extremely hot and extremely cold temperatures always a possibility, maintaining turf health is a challenge, not to mention years such as 2019, with heavy rainfall and flooding in the early part of the year. A&W works to provide a high quality product using the best varieties of seed available, not just the cheapest.

A&W Southern Sod Farms has 10 full-time employees along with a six-person full-time contract install crew and another parttime contract installation team. “Our employees are absolutely vital to the success of our operation,” William says of the staff. Along with the knowledgeable and hard-working employees of the farm, A&W works with qualified and well-respected contractors and landscapers to deliver the best results with a quality product.

Participating in organizations such as TTA, they say, is a great benefit to their business. “We have gained a lot of good friends by being involved in the TTA, TPI and MSTC. We enjoy going to meetings to not only participate in the educational and vendor meetings, but to just sit down and talk with other farms. We have gained friends from all over the country as well as some on the other side of the county we live in,” says William.

Outside of the business, all three partners spend their free time serving in their churches and enjoying time with their families. Andy and his wife Denise have three daughters, two of which are married, and one grandson. William and his wife Julie have a son and a daughter, who is married, and one grandson. Clay and his wife Lori have two daughters, one of which is married. He also has two grandsons and one granddaughter.

TTA would like to thank Andy, William and Clay for their support and involvement in the association.